1 Chronicles 19
1 After this, Nahash king of the Ammonites died, and his son reigned in his place.
2 David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent messengers to comfort him over his father. David’s servants came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to comfort him.
3 The Ammonite officials said to Hanun, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending comforters to you? Didn’t his servants come to you to explore, overthrow, and spy out the land?”
4 Hanun seized David’s servants, shaved them, cut their clothes in half, up to their buttocks, and sent them away.
5 They went and reported to David about the men, and he sent someone to meet them, because the men were deeply humiliated. The king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow back; then return.”
6 The Ammonites realized that they had made themselves hateful to David. So Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, Aram-maacah, and Zobah.
7 They hired thirty-two thousand chariots, as well as the king of Maacah and his people. They came and camped opposite Medeba. The Ammonites gathered from their cities and came out for battle.
8 When David heard about it, he sent Joab with the whole army of mighty warriors.
9 The Ammonites came out and drew up for battle at the entrance of the city, while the kings who had come stood apart in the open country.
10 Joab saw that the battle line was facing him both in front and behind. He chose some of Israel’s best men and drew them up against the Arameans.
11 He placed the rest of the people under the command of his brother Abishai, and they drew up against the Ammonites.
12 Joab said, “If the Arameans prove too strong for me, you will come to my aid; and if the Ammonites prove too strong for you, I will come to your aid.
13 Be strong, and let us be strong for our people and the cities of our God. May the LORD do what seems good to him.”
14 Joab and the people with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him.
15 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they too fled from Abishai, Joab’s brother, and went into the city. Then Joab went to Jerusalem.
16 When the Arameans saw that Israel had defeated them, they sent messengers and brought the Arameans who were beyond the River. Shophach, the commander of Hadadezer’s army, led them.
17 When David was told, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, came to them, and drew up in battle formation against them. David drew up for battle against the Arameans, and they fought him.
18 The Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their chariot troops and forty thousand foot soldiers. He also killed Shophach, the commander of the army.
19 When Hadadezer’s servants saw that Israel had defeated them, they made peace with David and served him. From then on, Aram was unwilling to help the Ammonites.
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